Abstract: | Surface slices of 20 sediment cores, off southwestern Taiwan, and bed sediment of River Kaoping were measured for major and
trace elements (Al, As, Ca, Cd, Cl, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, Ti, V, and Zn) to evaluate the geochemical
processes responsible for their distribution, including elemental contamination. Major element/Al ratio and mean grain size
indicate quartz-dominated, coarse grained sediments that likely derived from sedimentary rocks of Taiwan and upper crust of
Yangtze Craton. Bi-plot of SiO2 versus Fe2O3T suggests the possible iron enrichment in sediments of slag dumping sites. Highest concentrations of Cr, Mn, P, S, and Zn
found in sediments of dumping sites support this. Correlation analysis shows dual associations, detrital and organic carbon,
for Cr, P, S, and V with the latter association typical for sediments in dumping sites. Normalization of trace elements to
Al indicates high enrichment factors (>2) for As, Cd, Pb, and Zn, revealing contamination. Factor analysis extracted four
geochemical associations with the principal factor accounted for 25.1% of the total variance and identifies the combined effects
of dumped iron and steel slag-induced C–S–Fe relationship owing to authigenic precipitation of Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides and/or
metal sulfides, and organic matter complexation of Fe, Mn, Ca, Cr, P, and V. Factors 2, 3, and 4 reveal detrital association
(Ti, Al, Ni, Pb, Cu, and V), effect of sea salt (Cl, Mg, Na, and K) and anthropogenic component (As and Zn)-carbonate link,
respectively, in the investigated sediments. |